Arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece, and be met by our local representative. Transfer to your hotel for orientation, dinner, and your overnight stay.

Begin this day on the path of the Via Egnatia, a Roman road through Southeast Europe. Consider its strategic role as you follow the footsteps of Alexander the Great and the Apostle Paul to the site of Amphipolis. Capture their stories in the shadow of a stone Lion erected on the south end of the city. Continue to Philippi, a Roman colony where Christianity took root in Macedonian soil. Remember how the Apostle was jailed and released here. Explore the remains of Lydia’s baptistery and Philippi’s marketplace, roads, and theater. Complete the day at Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece’s most picturesque ports and a landing site for Paul, Timothy, and Silas. In this setting, contemplate the message of the letter that Paul wrote back to the Philippian church. Return to Thessaloniki for dinner and your overnight stay.

Discover the ancient core of Thessaloniki, an affluent New Testament-era capital and the second-largest city in Greece today. Walk the remains of the Roman forum, see its stores and baths, and reflect upon the letters sent by Paul to local believers. Admire the richness of the Church of Agios Demetrios and hear the story of a Christian martyrdom. Continue by foot along the Via Egnatia to the Arch and Palace of Galerius before reaching the promenade where the White Tower and a statue of Alexander the Great face the sea. Visit the nearby archaeological museum. Travel by bus to the medieval fortifications that once surrounded Thessaloniki and appreciate the afternoon sun before returning to the hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Spend this day exploring the core of ancient Macedonia. At Vergina, discover the capital of the ancient Macedonian kingdom, originally called “Aegae.” Visit its underground complex of tombs and golden treasures of Alexander the Great and his father, Philip of Macedonia. Learn about ancient burying customs, traditions, values, and moral ethics. Continue to Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great. Roam the nearly 10,000 acres of ruins at this archaeological site. Return to Thessaloniki for dinner and your overnight stay.

Depart Thessaloniki and follow the path of Paul to Berea (Veria) (Acts 17: 10-12). Climb by coach into the rugged backbone of the country. Be amazed at the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”). Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries perched on soaring, sheer-sided gray sandstone pillars. Tour one of these monasteries and learn more about the Greek Orthodox faith. Stop for dinner and your overnight stay in Kalambaka.

Travel through the mountains of the Parnassus to Delphi, home of the oracle and the religious center of the ancient Greek world. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, the theatre, and the Temple of Apollo. Consider the weight of polytheism, the power of myth, tradition, and pagan prophecy, and gain a new appreciation for the challenges of early Christian ministry. Stop for dinner and your overnight stay in Athens.

Bypass Athens (for the moment) for a tour of the Greek Peloponnese. Travel to the isthmus to visit the harbor at Cenchrae and the diolkos. After a brief stop, continue to the ruins of Corinth. Today’s quiet village sits in contrast to its first-century counterpart, a rowdy “sailor-town” and a surprising ministry setting for the Apostle Paul. Enter the site through the local museum and contemplate the Jewish presence there in the first century. Pass by pagan temples to reach the forum of the city. Imagine how this busy market folded around the Bema, or “speaker’s platform.” Recall how, in this very place, Paul was vindicated by Gallio in a crucial case addressing the identity of Christianity. Reboard the bus and mount the Acrocorinth massif. From the vantage point that it offers, consider afresh the message of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. In the late afternoon, drive to Nafplion (Nauplio) for a relaxing dinner and your overnight stay on the seacoast.

Rise with the Mediterranean sun and drive to the archaeological site of Mycenae. In the second millennium BC, this stronghold was an important center of Greek civilization and the subject of many stories and myths. Summit the acropolis and look upon the impressive Lion Gate. Even headless, the lions convey the raw power and majesty that was Mycenae. Continue to a royal cemetery that dates from the 16th century BC. Hear how the site stories of Mycenae (and Troy) are critical to the foundation stories of Greece, Rome, and modern archaeological investigation. On the way back to the bus, stop at the “Treasury of Atreus,” an impressive beehive tomb. From Mycenae, continue to the ancient city of Epidauros. Pass by remains from the healing sanctuary and climb the stairs of a magnificent theater, the best-preserved example of its kind in the Mediterranean Basin. Continue to Athens for dinner and your overnight stay.

Enjoy the architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens. Visit the worldrenowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on the knob of “Mars Hill” and consider how the Apostle Paul stood before the Council of the Areopagus. Here, alone, Paul launched a brilliant defense that unseated a pagan perspective by arguing that Israel’s God is Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all the earth (Acts 17: 16-34). Unlike Socrates, Paul walked away from this elitist confrontation. Venture down from the rock and stroll through the Greek, Roman and modern marketplaces. Dinner and overnight are in Athens.

Use the free time of this last day to do some personal exploration in Athens. In the evening, gather with the team for a time of conclusion, reflection, and corporate worship. Dinner and overnight are in Athens.

Return to the USA.